“I want to thank Cubs fans for their support all season, especially right now, and let everyone know that I’m doing OK. I also want to thank everyone who has helped take care of me here in Miami, the Cubs and Marlins training and medical staffs, the EMTs at the ballpark and everyone here at the hospital.

You never want to have a season end early, and I’m disappointed that I’m not going to be able to make it through the finish line with the rest of my teammates. That being said, I couldn’t be more thankful for the Cubs organization, my teammates and the opportunity to play for Cubs fans my rookie season. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

According to a report from Carrie Muskat, Welington Castillo’s bat was shipped to a lab to be examined in hopes of determining why it broke on Sunday.

Geovany SotoGeovany Soto underwent arthroscopic surgery Monday morning to “clean up the area around the AC joint in his right shoulder.” Dr. Stephen Gryzlo performed the procedure and Soto was discharged from the hospital not too long after the hour-long surgery.

Reports indicated the surgery went as planned and Soto is expected to be back at full strength by the first of the year.

Soto quietly put together a good year at the plate. Soto bounced back from a horrible 2009 season and compiled a solid line .280/.393/.497/.890 with 19 doubles and 17 home runs (62 walks and 83 strikeouts in 105 games) … and his defense showed improvement as well.

With Geovany Soto on the shelf for the remainder of the year, could the Cubs make a roster move to add a catcher?

Cubs Catching CorpAccording to a report from Bruce Miles, the Cubs will play out the remaining 13 games with Koyie Hill and Welington Castillo as their two catchers. Castillo needs to receive a bulk of the playing time … simply put the Cubs need to see what they have in Castillo.

Koyie Hill is a known commodity and one that would likely sign a minor league deal with the Cubs that includes an invite to big league camp over the winter. Welington Castillo has shown the skills behind the plate (in the minors) to be a backup, but if he could hit at the Major League level, the Cubs could have two good, young catchers.

Miles reported that if something were to happen to either Hill or Castillo, Robinson Chirinos could be called upon. Chirinos is not on the 40-man roster and the Cubs would have to make another move to add him, but he figures to be added to the Major League roster by November 19 in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

Brenly in the Mix for the Manager’s Gig?The Sun-Times reported Saturday that Jim Hendry asked Bob Brenly to meet with him following the season regarding the Cubs managerial position.

Brenly interviewed for the job back in 2006 and is rumored to be in the mix for a couple of the managerial openings. Speculation on XM Radio has been that Brenly could be interviewed for the Brewers job again if Ken Macha is released of his duties … Brenly was a finalist for the job in Milwaukee two years ago

Bob Brenly has two more years remaining on his broadcast contract with the Cubs … but has an out if he is able to land a job as a big league skipper.

Cubs 2011 RotationAccording to a report from the Tribune, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano could lead a Cubs rotation next season that will have a lot of competition in Spring Training for the final three spots.

Gorzelanny and Samardzija are out of options and will make the team out of camp if they are still on the roster. Gorzelanny could be traded, there were rumors around the deadline and they figure to heat up again, but Samardzija has a no trade clause and is unlikely to be traded this winter.

The Sun-Times saidMike Quade “looks like a favorite to land the full-time Cubs managing job with every new Midas-touch move he pulls off.”

According to a tweet fromBuster Olney, there is “an understanding” between Ted Lilly and the Dodgers that they will discuss a new contract after the season. Lilly would like to stay with the team that drafted him … and the Dodgers would like to retain his services.